B.Sc. (Hons) in Quantity Surveying
Department of Building Economics offers a four-year Bachelor of Science honours degree in Quantity Surveying with wide range of subjects related to the construction cost management and total management of all services that support the core activities of any construction product. In addition to the knowledge imparted by way of lectures, the programme emphasises on acquiring practical skills as well. Presently the Quantity Surveying degree is underpinned by a wide range of external contacts which are used extensively for projects, work experience placements, research projects and consultancy.
What is Quantity Surveying & Who is a Quantity Surveyor ?
Quantity Surveying emerged as a profession in the construction industry in 1785 in England and reached Sri Lanka through colonialism in the early 1930’s.
The Quantity Surveyor, who is also known as a Construction Economist or a Cost Manager, is a member of a team of professional advisers to the construction industry. As a Quantity Surveyor, you will be working as a cost consultant, to manage and control costs on building, civil and infrastructure construction projects on behalf of the Owners or Contractors, making use of a wide range of management procedures, technical tools and skills.
Entry Requirements and Target Enrolments
The selection of students for admission to undergraduate programmes in universities is carried out by the University Grants Commission (UGC) based on the admission policy laid out by them with the concurrence of the government.
The candidates who are interested in entering into B.Sc. (QS) Hons degree programme should have taken at least Combined Mathematics or Higher Mathematics and any two of the following subjects at their General Certificate of Examinations (Advanced Level).
- Chemistry, Physics
- Accounting, Business Statistics
- Economics, Business Studies
In addition to above, the student should satisfy the followings at their General Certificate of Examinations (Ordinary Level) to be eligible for degree programmes in Quantity Surveying and Facilities Management.
- At leats a credit pass in Mathematics
- At least a pass in Science
- At least a credit pass in English Language
The annual enrolment to the QS degree programme is 125 and the FM degree programme is 50.
Academic Progammes
The Progamme
The Honours Degree of Bachelor of Science in Quantity Surveying and Honours Degree of Bachelor of Science in Facilities Management are four-year full time honours degree programmes. They are structured as follows.
- A programme extending over seven academic semesters,
- A 32 week period of industrial placement and
- Research dissertation as specified.
In every level there are two semesters with approximately 26 weeks each. Each semester comprises of a wide range of subjects and various assessments methods have been employed to evaluate the undergraduates’ performance. The composition of the programme over the four levels of study has been in following figure.
The next section provides the detailed By-law and the Performance Criteria for both degree programmes.
Course Accreditation
The Honours Degree of B.Sc. in Quantity Surveying has been accredited by the following institutes, which has given a good opportunity to build very strong links between these institutions and the Department.
- Institute of Quantity Surveyors Sri Lanka since year 1986
- Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors since year 1997
- Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors since year 1999
- Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors since year 2010
- Pacific association of Quantity Surveyors since year 2011, The PAQS consists with
* Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors
* Association of South African Quantity Surveyors
* Building Surveyors Institute of Japan
* Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors
* The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors
* Institute of Quantity Surveyors Sri Lanka
* The Institute of Surveyors, Malaysia
* New Zealand Institute of Quantity Surveyors
* Singapore Institute of Surveyors and Valuers
Course Structure
B.Sc. in Quantity Surveying is a four-year full time honours degree programme. It is structured into seven semesters and three terms. In every level there are two semesters with approximately 20 weeks each and one term of 12 weeks. Each semester offers wide rage of subjects and various assessments to evaluate undergraduates' performance. The degree of integration across the subjects increases as the student progresses through the semesters.
The curriculum is mainly grouped into two sections as follows.
Core Modules:
Core modules are categorised under 3 streams
Construction Costing
Procurement Management
Project Studies
Common Modules:
Common modules are categorised under 5 streams
General
Technological Studies
Economic Studies
Management Studies
Legal Studies
Commencing from first semester of level three, undergraduates have industrial placements for 32 weeks which is assigned with 8 credits. Later in level four, they are required to undertake a research and produce a dissertation whilst attending lectures and class assignments. This provides with an opportunity to use and develop the attributes stated in the aims of the course and to demonstrate the extent to which they have fulfilled those aims.
The above degree programmes consist of different modules which can be compulsory or elective and each module is assigned a credit value representing the student's workload. It is necessary to complete certain modules before they follow the modules where pre-requisites are required. The attendance of a student enrolled for the degree program should not be less than 80% per each module. And a student will not qualify for graduation if he/she does not complete all requirements of graduation within eight academic years from the time of registration, except by the approval from the senate. The requirement for graduation is 150 credits and 10 credits of this shall be earned from Non-GPA modules.
Quantity Surveyors' wide range of competencies on construction contract practice, construction technology, environmental services, economics of construction, financial management and procurement lead the profession to venture into new directions such as Project Management, Risk Management, Value Management, Facilities Management, Claims Management, Construction Information Technology Management, Dispute Resolution and Development appraisal. Also the graduate Quantity Surveyors have the opportunity to become associate members of Institute of Quantity Surveyors Sri Lanka , Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors.
| Module Outline Honours Degree of Bachelor of Science in Quantity Surveying Programme |
| Module Code | Module | Module Type | Credit Value |
| LEVEL - 1 | |||
| BE 1101 | Building Design and Construction I | C | 3 |
| BE 1113 | Drawing and Design Appreciation | C | 3 |
| BE 1209 | Professional Communication | C | 3 |
| BE 1401 | Economics I | C | 2 |
| BE 1403 | Construction Economics I | C | 2 |
| BE 1302 | Fundamentals of Management | C | 2 |
| BE 1211 | Management Accountancy | C | 2 |
| BE 1701 | QS Project Study I* | C | -- |
| General Studies | |||
| BE 1111 | Building Design and Construction II | C | 3 |
| BE 1310 | Legal Systems | C | 2 |
| BE 1405 | Economics II | C | 2 |
| BE 1601 | Measurement I | C | 3 |
| BE 1202 | Services I | C | 3 |
| BE 1102 | Building Materials | C | 2 |
| BE 1109 | Land Surveying | E | 2 |
| BE 1701 | QS Project Study I* | C | 1 |
| LEVEL - 2 | |||
| BE 2209 | Information Technology I | C | 3 |
| BE 2601 | Measurement II | C | 3 |
| BE 2202 | Services II | C | 3 |
| BE 2312 | Law of Contract and Delict | C | 3 |
| BE 2107 | Structures | C | 2 |
| BE 2503 | Tendering and Estimating | C | 3 |
| BE 2308 | Human Resource Management | C | 2 |
| BE 2409 | Sustainable Development | C | 2 |
| BE 2701 | QS Project Study II* | C | -- |
General Studies
|
|||
| BE 2306 | Project Planning and Management | C | 2 |
| BE 2206 | Services III | C | 3 |
| BE 2109 | Specification Writing | E | 2 |
| BE 2103 | Civil Engineering Construction I | C | 2 |
| BE 2310 | Law of Property | C | 3 |
| BE 2207 | Business Statistics | C | 3 |
| BE 2407 | Construction Economics II | C | 3 |
| BE 2603 | Procurement Systems | C | 2 |
| BE 2701 | QS Project Study II* | C | 1 |
| LEVEL - 3 | |||
| BE 3703 | Industrial Training | C | 8 |
| BE 3101 | Civil Engineering Construction II | C | 2 |
| BE 3102 | Building Surveying | E | 2 |
| BE 3503 | Bidding and Pricing | C | 3 |
| BE 3601 | Measurement III | C | 3 |
| BE 3206 | Services Integration | C | 2 |
| BE 3310 | Organisational Management | C | 2 |
| BE 3308 | Business Law | C | 2 |
| BE 3205 | Financial Management | C | 2 |
| BE 3701 | QS Project Study III* | C | 1 |
| LEVEL - 4 | |||
| BE 4203 | Information Technology II | C | 3 |
| BE 4601 | Measurement IV | C | 3 |
| BE 4703 | Dissertation* | C | 8 |
| BE 4405 | Development Economics | C | 3 |
| BE 4611 | Contract Interpretation | C | 2 |
| BE 4707 | QS Project Study IV* | C | 1 |
| BE 4703 | Dissertation* | C | 12 |
| BE 4407 | Construction Economics III | C | 2 |
| BE 4615 | Modern Procurement Systems | C | 2 |
| BE 4607 | Professional Practice | C | 2 |
| BE 4617 | Management of Claims and Disputes | C | 2 |
- All general studies modules (Non-GPA) carry 2 credits
* Module is conducted throughout semester I and II. Assessment is done at the end of semester II.
| C | - Compulsory |
| E | - Elective |
| GE | - Non GPA (Elective) |
| Module Outline List of Non-GPA (General Studies) Modules for B.Sc. (QS) Hons. & B.Sc. (FM) Hons. Degree Programmes |
| Module code | Module | Credit Value |
| BE 1001 | Meditation | 2 |
| BE 1002 | Photography | 2 |
| BE 1003 | Web Designing | 2 |
| BE 1004 | Aerobics | 2 |
| BE 1005 | Japanese | 2 |
| BE 1006 | Communication Skills | 2 |
| BE 1007 | Web Animation | 2 |
| BE 1008 | Life Style Accessories | 2 |
| BE 1009 | Introduction to Oral Health | 2 |
| BE 1010 | Human Rights | 2 |
| BE 1011 | Career Development | 2 |
| BE 1012 | Fundamentals of Physics | 2 |
| BE 1013 | History of Sri Lankan Philately | 2 |
| BE 1014 | Introduction to Computing | 2 |
| BE 1016 | Facilitation | 2 |
| BE 1017 | Active Citizens | 2 |